… On Tuesday, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer held a press conference at which he spelled out his priorities. Denouncing the White House and congressional Republicans for “continuing to deny the insurance markets the certainty they need,” he said the GOP could “start today working with the Democrats…to stabilize the markets…”

Schumer endorsed a proposal from Democratic senators Thomas Carper and Tim Kaine (Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate in 2016) to create a permanent “reinsurance” program for the individual health insurance market. One of the key demands of the insurance industry, such a program would provide billions in taxpayer funds to reimburse private insurers for high costs linked to care for particularly sick policyholders.

This call to “stabilize the insurance markets” has become the mantra of those factions of the political establishment and media calling for a bipartisan alternative to the Republican “repeal and replace” proposals. In none of the statements of leading Democrats or “liberal” newspapers can one find a call to expand medical coverage to the entire population, reject all proposals for cuts in already hopelessly inadequate benefits, or in any way rein in the profiteering and power of the insurance and pharmaceutical monopolies…